Chordates • Earth.com

Gray treefrog

(Dryophytes versicolor)

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Description

The gray treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor) is a species of small arboreal holarctic tree frog native to much of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. It is sometimes referred to as the eastern gray treefrog, northern gray treefrog, common gray treefrog, or tetraploid gray treefrog to distinguish it from its more southern, genetically disparate relative, Cope's gray treefrog. As the scientific name implies, gray treefrogs are variable in color owing to their ability to camouflage themselves from gray to green or brown, depending on the substrate on which they are sitting. The degree of mottling varies. They can change from nearly black to nearly white. They change color at a slower rate than a chameleon. One aspect that is unique to this frog appearance is that its legs feature a dark bandish pattern which then contrast sharply with the black-marked bright yellow or orange under the sides of its legs and arms. Dead gray treefrogs and ones in unnatural surroundings are predominantly gray. The female does not call and has a white throat; however, the male does call and can show a black/gray/brown throat during the breeding season. The female is usually larger than the male. They are relatively small compared to other North American frog species, typically attaining no more than 1.5 to 2 in (3.8 to 5.1 cm). Their skin has a lumpy texture to it, giving them a warty appearance. This species is virtually indistinguishable from Cope's gray treefrog, the only readily noticeable difference being that Cope's Gray treefrog has a shorter, faster call. However, the call rates of both gray treefrogs are temperature dependent and at lower temperatures Cope's gray treefrog can have a call rate approximating that of the gray treefrog. The difference in call can be heard, but it is best quantified by counting the number of pulses per second in their whistled trills. The gray treefrog has a pulse rate of 16 to 34 pulses per second while Cope's gray treefrog has a pulse rate of 34 to 60 pulses per second. Even though there is potential for overlap, because of the temperature dependence of the pulse frequency the two species are easily distinguished where they occur together. At a given temperature, the pulse frequency for the gray treefrog is approximately 1/2 that of Cope's gray treefrog.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class: Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Hylidae
Genus:Dryophytes
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